PHNOM PENH— Cambodia’s ruling party has named a son and a son-in-law of Prime Minister Hun Sen as candidates for National Assembly seats to compete in the upcoming July elections, officials said Friday.

One of Hun Sen’s sons, Hun Many, will run for a seat to represent Kampong Speu province, while Dy Vichea, who is married to the premier’s daughter, will run for Svay Rieng province.

Neither was selected at the “prime minister’s orders,” but they were chosen by local commune committees, said Cheam Yiep, a lawmaker for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party.

The appointments add to the growing number of relatives of senior officials who occupy seats in government.

This makes the ruling party “not so strong,” but, to be fair, individuals should be evaluated on how they perform, said Lao Mong Hay, an independent analyst.

Kem Sokha, head of the Human Rights Party, said the ruling party is seeking to bring “new elements” into the party to cover for past mistakes of older party members. However, he said, “they need to reform the prime minister spot if they want to turn this into a good situation.”

Around 600 years ago, the people living in the remote Cardamom Mountains in southern Cambodia placed the bones of their dead in large jars on steep ledges hidden deep in the jungle.
Ten years after discovering a large grave site full of jars, researchers are still baffled as to why ancient Cambodians used jars in this way. AP reports from Koh Kong province, Cambodia.